You might defer because you think they know better (epistemic deferring), or because there is a formal or social expectation that you should go along with their view (deferring to authority).
Both types of deferring are important — epistemic deferring lets people borrow the fruits of knowledge; deferring to authority enables strong coordination. But they are two-edged.
...when someone defers without everyone understanding that’s what’s happening, it can cause issues. Similarly, unacknowledged expectations of deferral from others can cause problems.
See also Deferring from Cotton-Barratt (2022)